Historically speaking, Opera is considered by many as the most complex and costliest of the lyrical genre’s tendencies. The opera can impose an enormous machinery, not only from a work’s production viewpoint, but also from the creator’s perspective. In my project of composing an opera, this mechanic is approached under two angles: institutional and compositional. The objective, in the first case, is to guarantee a feasible and simple representation on stage, and in the second case, to define the musical characteristics that will identify the piece within a contemporary aesthetic. For this thesis, I have used my first experience in opera composition with the creation of El Príncipe Tulicio, a total chamber opera with electronics. This opera was conceived according to Gesamtkunstwerk model during the years 2015 and 2016 and has an approximate duration of 59 minutes.
In the body of this thesis, one finds two major parts. Firstly, the opera’s contextualization in the so-called “contemporary” period, of the second half of the 20th century, on which I have based myself to focus my research. And secondly, a partition subdivided in two other sections, presenting different observations and analysis. The first section focuses on three pieces, which were composed during the first part of my doctoral studies. They have served as an incubator and a laboratory for the development of the opera’s ideation. The second section is dedicated to the exclusive analysis of the opera. Here, one is presented with the different problematic inherent to the creative process, followed by the analysis of the formal structure (prologue, four interludes, five acts, and a coda), and its general aspect. Where explanation of my procedures and intrinsic relations between music (instrumental and electroacoustic), literature (Legend and onomatopoeia), and drama (stageplay), is of utmost importance. The analysis mostly exposes the restraints that I have imposed myself during the research, and detailed examples which are part of my creative process. For example, the vocal treatment in a non-traditional manner, and its adaptation to the piece’s character, through a graphic notation on a hybrid score.
Finally, this thesis presents the conclusions drawn from the results and problems experienced during this entire opera’s creation process.